Episode 30
“You’d better explain what’s going on.”
Diana’s sudden arrival left Leo no choice but to send Chris away.
Chris, clearly frustrated at being cut off before he could get the information he wanted, asked Leo for another
meeting. But Diana forced him out before he could push further.
Once it was just the two of them, Leo didn’t bother keeping up his poker face.
The usual smirk was gone, his eyes flat and empty.
Diana actually preferred him like this at least there was no fake charm, just his usual blunt self. That made him
easier to have around than most.
But she’d come looking for him and ended up hearing something that shook her.
“You told me Emilia was dead.”
Barely keeping her temper in check, she finally asked the question she couldn’t voice in front of Chris.
Leo found her reaction amusing.
Everyone praised her as an angel, a goddess, but her raw, human side was showing now.
He’d heard his whole life that noble blood proved a person’s worth—but in reality, very few nobles he’d met actually
lived up to that ideal.
The Emperor and his brats, for example.
So seeing Diana drop the act didn’t bother him. In fact, her bluntness was almost refreshing.
That didn’t mean he liked her, though.
To him, she was just another royal one he had no reason to hate, unlike the others, which was why they’d gotten
along decently so far.
“Did I say that?” he replied vaguely, pretending not to remember.
Of course, he remembered perfectly well. He’d agreed to her request to hunt Emilia Casper down and kill her.
He hadn’t cared what happened to Emilia back then he only played along because there was something he wanted
from Diana at the time.
The plan had been to shadow Emilia for a while, then quietly dump her somewhere no one would find her.
But once she’d reached Cardinal Village, something about her reminded him of someone else, and it stirred up a petty
sort of stubbornness in him.
So he’d lied to Diana about finishing the job, figuring she’d find out eventually just not today.
“You even sent someone to report she’d been dealt with.”
“You’ve got a good memory. Not everyone recalls things from over a year ago.”
Diana ignored his sarcasm and repeated her question. Why hadn’t he killed Emilia?
But Leo was busy reviewing a stack of unsigned documents left in limbo thanks to Edwin’s absence. He didn’t have
time to play twenty questions with her.
Still, she didn’t look ready to leave until she got an answer.
“Where is she?”
Realizing he wasn’t going to give her a straight answer, she changed tactics.
Leo considered it for a moment. He could see her intent plain as day if he hadn’t done it, she’d take care of Emilia
herself.
I wonder what she and the Duke are up to right now.
The thought of Edwin being in Cardinal annoyed him.
Cardinal was his territory, and it hid more of his secrets than anyone suspected. He glanced at Diana, she looked like
she’d completely lose it if pushed too far.
What would happen if he aimed that fury somewhere else instead? The idea intrigued him.
“She’s in Cardinal Village.”
“Figures. A place that suits her.”
Diana, too worked up to watch her tongue, said the one thing Leo hated hearing. But he let it slide that he was already
looking forward to the chaos to come.
Like chess pieces on a board, he wondered just how far their little drama could spiral out of control.
So she doesn’t know why Edwin went looking for Emilia.
He didn’t, either—not until recently. But now it was obvious.
When everyone else had stopped caring about the so-called villainess, Edwin had scoured the empire to find her. That
alone spoke volumes.
So… he’s figured out where I live.
Before finishing dinner with Edwin, Emilia had excused herself, saying she needed the restroom. Instead, she went
outside to where the discarded Hermann family sword lay.
Luckily, its owner hadn’t come back for it—whether out of ignorance or fear, she didn’t know—and she was able to
take it.
She hid it away until Edwin left, then pulled it out for a closer look.
I didn’t think Henry would actually come here.
She sighed.
“How did he find me?”
Had he known all along? If so, he should’ve shown up sooner. The fact that he’d come only now meant he must’ve
discovered her recently.
Maybe he’d been hiding somewhere in the Grand Forest, like she had, and only emerged now after hearing rumors.
If the ducal household had lied and claimed she’d been kidnapped, they might’ve been obligated to search for her for
the sake of the family’s honor.
But over the past year, all she’d heard was that “the duchess is missing.”
So Henry had probably assumed she’d run away and now he’d tracked her to Cardinal.
“And the reason’s obvious…”
She drew the sword from its scabbard.
It was a blade only the heir to the Hermann family could carry, and Henry had always flaunted it proudly.
He’d earned that position by taking everything she’d built for herself. So she had no trouble guessing why he was here
again to take whatever she had left or to use her for his own ends once more.
This time, she decided, the chain between them would be cut for good.
Tucking the slightly damaged blade under her arm, she headed outside.
“Henry, it’s time I paid you back for everything you gave me.”
She scanned her surroundings and made her way toward the road where the occasional carriage passed.
Edwin lingered in her mind, but this was something she had to finish herself. She set off toward the Grand Forest.
“Hah!”
Henry still couldn’t believe what had happened.
Sneaking into the village unseen had gone smoothly enough, and finding Emilia’s house had sent his excitement
through the roof.
In his mind, the family sword—a proud Hermann heirloom passed down for generations—would make her kneel on
the spot.
Sure, she was a Casper now, but she’d been born a Hermann. He figured that one look at the shining blade and she’d
agree to follow him.
Then things went sideways.
Why the hell was Edwin there?!
He’d been knocking, waiting eagerly for Emilia to answer, when someone tapped him on the back.
Still calm, Henry had planned to say he was her brother from far away, here on urgent family business.
But the moment he turned around, his mind went completely blank.
“That bastard actually”
Edwin had beaten him senseless, pummeling him like a punching bag.
Even when he saw the sword in Henry’s hand, Edwin didn’t back off an inch.
Only after warning him never to come back did Edwin finally let him go, and Henry bolted.
He hadn’t managed to grab his sword before fleeing, but he didn’t see that as a problem.
In fact, he was almost pleased—he had a plan to knock Edwin down a peg.
“That wasn’t the only sword I brought.”
When he’d fled the family estate, one blade had caught his eye even in the chaos—a bright emerald sword with a cool
gleam, nothing like the Hermann family’s usual style. He’d taken it with him, imagining the day his family rose again.
The onlookers watching Henry grin only shook their heads.
The man still hadn’t paid back money long overdue, and their patience with him was wearing paper thin.
